Caroline Autenrieth Penney was born in 1896 in Eldred, New York, but also lived part of her life in Phoenix, Arizona. She was a philanthropist and the third wife of the legendary merchandiser James Cash Penney.

In the 1920s, Caroline met Mr. Penney and worked as his secretary for a short period. As a talented voice student, she traveled to France to study voice in 1925. She married Mr. Penney in 1926 in Paris, France. It was her first marriage and the twice-widowed Mr. Penney's third marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Penney had two daughters, Mary Frances (Wagley) and Carol Marie (Guyer).

The Penneys' life was not always financially secure. During the Depression, the couple was forced to sell their Miami house and closed sections of their Westchester house to save heating costs, and Mrs. Penney canned fruits and vegetables grown on their farm in Westchester.

During their 45-year marriage, Mrs. Penney actively supported her husband's business activities. She often accompanied him in his travels and appearances as he built JCPenney into one of the world's largest retail chains. After his death in 1971, she served as president of the James C. Penney Foundation for eight years.

Mrs. Penney was a patron of the arts, was active in the Metropolitan Opera and its guild, was on the boards of the Parsons School of Design and American Mothers Inc., and was a member of the Young Women's Christian Association World Service Council.

Throughout her life, Mrs. Penney was close to her sister Olga A. Chase. She was survived by her two daughters, nine grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren, two step-granddaughters, and three step-great-grandchildren.

Sources:

Caroline A. Penney obituary in The New York Times, March 19, 1992

Penney and Allied Family Genealogical and Biographical Study

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The records include correspondence, biographical materials, clippings, photographs, greeting cards, and personal materials. About one-third of the collection is correspondence, clippings, brochures and other pamphlets on the various philanthropies that Mrs. Penney supported. About one-third of the collection is greeting cards received by Mrs. Penney. Half of those are cards sent by family and Mr. Penney on various holidays and birthdays. The greeting cards from the early days of their marriage are quite charming. Half of the greeting cards are Christmas cards from the late 1980s and were sent by friends in the New York social scene and associates from the J.C. Penney Company.

The letters sent between Mr. and Mrs. Penney are still with the Penney families.

Although family materials, these papers were held by the JCPenney Company and organized by Company employees over a 30-year period. This collection is the gift of the Penney, Guyer, and Wagley families and J.C. Penney Co.

Materials include genealogical materials about both the Penney and Autenrieth families, Mrs. Penney’s correspondence with family members, and documents from Mrs. Penney's travels. The travel materials reflect international travels in the 1920s, 1930s, 1960s, and 1970s.

This series documents Mrs. Penney’s philanthropic activities, mostly after Mr. Penney’s death. The bulk of the series is grouped by each organization's name. The documents give a clear picture of how these organizations communicated with donors. Boxes 13 and 14 have correspondence between Mrs. Penney and President and Mamie Eisenhower. Mrs. Eisenhower and Mrs. Penney worked on the American Mothers Committee together.

Mrs. Penney kept clippings and made scrapbooks throughout her life with Mr. Penney. In addition, scrapbooks were given to her by JCPenney associates and other people. Some of this material is in poor condition.

Most interesting in these boxes are the greeting cards that Mr. Penney gave to Mrs. Penney which date from the 1940s to the late 1960s. Mrs. Penney was a doting grandmother. She was called Mimi by her grandchildren and her daughters as well. Her Christmas cards from the late 1980s reflect her friends in New York society.

The photographs date from 1895 to the 1990s and are arranged by subject. Many (especially those of Mr. Penney, Mr. and Mrs. Penney together, Penney family and JCPenney associates and executives) are duplicates of photographs found in Mr. Penney’s papers (A2004.0006) and the JCPenney corporate records (A2004.0007). Some unique materials are those of Mrs. Penney as a young child, photographs of homes and furniture—as well as photographs of her travels after Mr. Penney had died.